Have you ever noticed when traveling to some place new to you, how similar some of it is to where you came from or other places you’ve been?

The world is vast.

But it really is small.

I haven’t traveled extensively or exotically.

But many of the places I’ve been look very similar to other places I’ve been.

Turns out, the Lake District in England looks a lot like coastal Maine, or areas of Washington.

Leadenhall Market in London reminds me of the Old Farmers Market on Fairfax Ave. in L.A.

The landscape running alongside Highway 101 in Ventura County is very similar to the landscape running alongside the highway from Florence to Rome (minus the gorgeous architecture).

Travel reminds you that everything is connected.

The same goes for writing: every story echoes another.

There is nothing new under the sun.

There’s something kindred in everything.

When you notice these overlaps or echoes, lean in.

Use the familiar to make the foreign relatable.

This is useful advice for writers and travelers alike.

For example, if you find yourself having a difficult time making a setting come alive in your writing, add something familiar to you—a group of oak trees whose branches curve toward each other like a tunnel; a small bookstore whose proprietor knows exactly the book you’re looking for; a white-steepled church nestled on a hillside among orange-and yellow-and red-leafed trees; a town square with the same charm as an Italian piazza.

Chances are it’ll be familiar to the reader, too, and you’ll have created a bond.

Likewise, when you’re traveling and feeling a little homesick, find the familiar.

It’s there.

When I was traveling by myself last year, I was feeling overwhelmed by how far away from home I was in a country where I didn’t know the language.

Mostly it was energizing, but one day it felt tiring working so hard to just be OK in this new place and experience as much as I could.

Then I saw a Starbucks off to my right.

Don’t scoff.

That Starbucks was a little bit of home right there in Munich, enough to fortify me (figuratively and literally) and send me out and on my way to do more exploring.

I think I drive my husband nuts when we’re traveling together because I always seem to be saying stuff like, “This (fill in the blank) reminds me of that (fill in the blank).”

Walt Disney was a hundred percent right: “It’s a small world after all.”

And it sure is fun to see just how small this big world is.

Enjoy your week,

~ Gail

(Tick tock)

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